Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Senior product design engineer education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become a senior product design engineer. Senior product design engineers usually study mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or drafting and design. 68% of senior product design engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 517 real senior product design engineer resumes to see exactly what senior product design engineer education sections show.
The most common colleges for senior product design engineers are the Ohio State University and the Ohio State University.
There are also many online senior product design engineer courses to help get the education required to be a senior product design engineer.
What education do you need to become a senior product design engineer?
What degree do you need to be a senior product design engineer?
- Bachelor's, 68%
- Master's, 18%
- Associate, 11%
- Diploma, 2%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become a senior product design engineer?
- Engineering, 4%
- Other Majors, 33%
Most common colleges for senior product design engineers
| Senior product design engineer common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Ohio State University | 7.14% |
| Wayne State University | 7.14% |
| Purdue University | 7.14% |
| Georgia Institute of Technology | 6.12% |
| University of Massachusetts - Lowell | 6.12% |
Best majors for senior product design engineers
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mechanical Engineering | 42.2% |
| 2 | Electrical Engineering | 15.9% |
| 3 | Drafting And Design | 5.1% |
| 4 | Engineering | 4.0% |
| 5 | Industrial Technology | 4.0% |
Best colleges for senior product design engineers
The best colleges for senior product design engineers are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and California Institute of Technology.
A senior product design engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for senior product design engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become senior product design engineers.
1. Michigan Technological University
Houghton, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,646
Enrollment
5,736
2. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$12,424
Enrollment
15,201
3. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$55,188
Enrollment
15,105
4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,832
Enrollment
4,550
5. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$54,568
Enrollment
8,451
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
8. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
In-state tuition
$53,740
Enrollment
5,567
9. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,465
Enrollment
6,483
10. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
In-state tuition
$50,420
Enrollment
7,582
20 best online courses for senior product design engineers
Advertising disclosure
1. Engineering and Product Design Processes
Welcome to “Engineering and Product Design Processes!” In this short course, you will learn how engineering design processes and product design processes are carried out. After the course, you will be familiar with the steps in both design processes. You will also be familiar with the main goal of each design process, as well as their similarities and differences...
2. Creative Design, Prototyping, and Testing
Designing the customer and user experience is essential to creating great products today. Gone is the old paradigm of “form follows function” model of design. The process must be iterative and follow the best product design and development processes. While designing a great user experience can be a lengthy and expensive process, there are approaches to doing it faster and smarter, without compromising results. This essential product management course explains key design thinking principles...
3. Mechanical design and Product development process
Learn the basic ideas and concepts behind developing mechanical products related to mechanical engineering...
4. Automotive product design using CATIA V5
Automotive domain design using CATIA, interior and exterior trims on CATIA, Plastic product design in Automotive sector...
5. Machine Learning Engineering for Production (MLOps)
Understanding machine learning and deep learning concepts is essential, but if you’re looking to build an effective AI career, you need production engineering capabilities as well.\n\nEffectively deploying machine learning models requires competencies more commonly found in technical fields such as software engineering and DevOps. Machine learning engineering for production combines the foundational concepts of machine learning with the functional expertise of modern software development and...
6. Product Development & Systems Engineering
The complete Product Development & Systems Engineering course! Earn 25 contact hours AND prepare to take the INCOSE Exam...
7. Learning SOLIDWORKS: For Students, Engineers, and Designers
For Basic and Intermediate Users...
8. Product Design Management for Agile Practitioners
Application of product design management principles, concepts, tools and techniques in agile product management...
9. Introduction to Automotive Product Design & development
Learn about the process, milestones and activities from idea to complete design of cars for Automotive engineers...
10. Complete Course in CATIA
For Students, Engineers, and Designers...
11. Master Digital Product Design: UX Research & UI Design
A complete design education for product designers: Research the user experience, then design a great user interface...
12. Complete Eagle CAD PCB Design: Theory and Practical approach
Complete PCB Design Course for Freshers & Professionals...
13. Ultimate Guide to Product Design: Design Thinking Approach
Uncover the Secrets of Successful Products for Outstanding User Experience. Design unique product that your users love!...
14. Insightful Customer Interviews for Product Managers
Direct conversations with real customers to gain insight, test product concepts, and drive product success...
15. Manufacturing Guide for Mechanical Product Development
Learn how everyday physical products are manufactured with no prior experience in engineering...
16. Basics of Sheet metal design for Mechanical design engineers
Learn Sheet metal design, processes and practical design considerations along with Design projects...
17. Product Management Marketing: Dekker's Product Marketing MBA
Be a Product Marketing Manager - Product Management : Product Manager MBA : Product to Market : Product Owner Launch GTM...
18. Technical Product Management: learn on 4 real industry cases
Boost your technicality (as a PM) or tech product skills (as an engineer) to grow in your current role...
19. Introduction to SOLIDWORKS
Learn the fundamentals of SOLIDWORKS engineering and design software including parts, drawings, and assemblies...
20. Design Thinking: Customer Journey Mapping
Sure shot way to delight customers, recreate value proposition, improve customer experience (CX) & become profitable...
Top 10 most affordable universities for senior product design engineers
The most affordable schools for senior product design engineers are California State University - Long Beach, brigham young university, and university of puerto rico - mayaguez.
If the best universities for senior product design engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for senior product design engineers.
1. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
2. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
3. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez
Mayaguez, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$4,094
Cost of attendance
14,302
4. Inter American University of Puerto Rico Bayamon
Bayamon, PR • Private
In-state tuition
$5,940
Cost of attendance
13,508
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
7. California State Polytechnic University, Pomona
Pomona, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,353
Cost of attendance
21,302
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. West Virginia University Institute of Technology
Beckley, WV • Private
In-state tuition
$7,464
Cost of attendance
17,166
10. Purdue University
West Lafayette, IN • Private
In-state tuition
$9,992
Cost of attendance
22,430
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for senior product design engineers
The hardest universities for senior product design engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Johns Hopkins University, and California Institute of Technology.
Some great schools for senior product design engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for senior product design engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
2. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
3. California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, CA • Private
Admissions rate
7%
SAT average
1,566
4. Carnegie Mellon University
Pittsburgh, PA • Private
Admissions rate
17%
SAT average
1,507
5. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
6. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
7. Cornell University
Ithaca, NY • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,471
8. Northeastern University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
19%
SAT average
1,466
9. Georgia Institute of Technology
Atlanta, GA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,465
10. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for senior product design engineers
The easiest schools for senior product design engineers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, capitol technology university, and pennsylvania state university - berks.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a senior product design engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for senior product design engineers.
1. Oregon Institute of Technology
Klamath Falls, OR • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,139
2. Capitol Technology University
Laurel, MD • Private
Admissions rate
69%
SAT average
1,070
3. Pennsylvania State University - Berks
Reading, PA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,107
4. Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, TX • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,068
5. Cleveland State University
Cleveland, OH • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,111
6. South Dakota State University
Brookings, SD • Private
Admissions rate
92%
SAT average
1,149
7. Alabama A & M University
Normal, AL • Private
Admissions rate
90%
SAT average
957
8. Purdue University Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne, IN • Private
Admissions rate
97%
SAT average
1,080
9. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona
Altoona, PA • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,094
10. Old Dominion University
Norfolk, VA • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,093
Average senior product design engineer salary by education level
| Senior product design engineer education level | Senior product design engineer salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $111,853 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $101,458 |
| Doctorate Degree | $119,165 |
Senior product design engineer education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common architecture and engineering questions.
Search for senior product design engineer jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025